Zoo harbor seal has abnormal liver, condition is guarded

Sandy, the 32-year-old Atlantic harbor seal who has lived at the Buttonwood Park Zoo the last 20 years, has been diagnosed with liver problems and is in guarded condition, city officials said.

CURT BROWN

NEW BEDFORD — Sandy, the 32-year-old Atlantic harbor seal who has lived at the Buttonwood Park Zoo the last 20 years, has been diagnosed with liver problems and is in guarded condition, city officials said.

The seal — which has been unable to digest fish — was transported Thursday to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, where veterinarians from that hospital, the New England Aquarium and Dr. Michele Sims from the zoo's staff did several tests to determine what is wrong.

Several biopsies of the seal's liver were taken and pathology results are pending, she said.

In the meantime, the seal is receiving "supportive care" at the zoo and Dr. Sims described Sandy's condition as guarded, Treadup said.

The problems came to light after the seal began experiencing gastrointestinal issues which affected its ability to hold down and digest all of his food, she said.

Initially the problems were intermittent and Sandy was treated for a possible infection. Although the seal's appetite had been improving, its inability to keep fish down worsened this week, officials said.

Sandy, one of three Atlantic harbor seals at the zoo, was found as a stranded pup on Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable in the summer of 1981 and has been at the zoo since 1993.

Atlantic harbor seals can be found along the northern Atlantic coast and have a life expectancy of 25-30 years.

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